Dr. Claire A. Nelson serves as an Advisor to the CASONY board.
Dr. Claire Nelson is Chief Ideation Leader of The Futures Forum, a research and education practice specializing in bringing the power of strategic foresight and discipline of sustainability engineering to challenges facing organizations and communities. Named as one of Forbes Top 50 female futurists in the world, she is author of the game-changing book “SMART Futures for a Flourishing World: A Paradigm Shift for Achieving Global Sustainability”.
A sought-after speaker, Dr. Nelson’s engagements have included: World Bank, World Steel, Saudi Space Agency, Pacific Skills Summit, UNESCO, US State Department and the White House. Dr. Nelson is a member of the Board of the World Futures Studies Federation and Editor-At-Large of its flagship magazine Human Futures. Named as a Member of the Board of Advisors of the US Air Force Air University, the Convenor of the Space Futures Forum, a global initiative that advocates Space for All, she also serves as Advisory Member at Space for Humanity, Space Kidz India, Institute for Space Law and Ethics, and a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN International Moon Day.
A social entrepreneur, Dr. Nelson is Founding President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, the leading Caribbean American Diaspora organization and celebrated as the Architect and Convening Chair of the Campaign for June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month. She is Curator of the Caribbean American Legislative Forum on Capitol Hill and White House Briefings, the National Caribbean American Heritage Awards, and the Caribbean Space Society.
Dr. Nelson is an award-winning playwright, performance artiste, and storyteller, with three one-woman shows – ‘Limbo Like This’, which speaks of Caribbean life in America; ‘Red Sky Falling’, a cautionary folk tale about how the world might end; ‘Moon Runnings, The Life & Times of the First Jamaican on the Moon’ – and a hit comedy Resident Alien, which have received critical acclaim.
The only Black female in her graduating class, she holds a Doctorate in Engineering Management from George Washington University (1990). Dr. Nelson was honored as an Outstanding Alumni by Purdue University’s School of Industrial Engineering and named a White House Champion of Change in 2012.
